James scott



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. SCOTT.

AUTOMATIC FLUSH TANK.

No. 450,798. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

"iiniiiiiiil (No Model.) Z'Sheets-Sheet 2. J.SGOTT. AUTOMATIC FLUSH TANK.

No. 450,798. Patented Apr. 21, 1891.

W ih esszs 1 3 15 (5 Jamar 8c0i-i:

W hfrgz ys,

UNITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

JAMES SCOTT, OF DENVER, COLORADO, ASSIGN OR OF ONE-FOURTH TO 0. IV. BETTS AND IVM. M. SOANLAN, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC FLU SH -TAN K.

SEECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 450,798, dated April 21, 1891.

Application filed October 4, 1890- Serial No. 867,076. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES SCOTT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Denver, in the county of Arapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Automatically-Acting Tank, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automatically-acting tanks such as are used to flush water-closets; and its objects are to render said tanks perfectly automatic in their action, to flush the trap of the closet without the use of valves, to produce complete flushing of the same, to render the tanks always in condition to flush the trap, to produce a perfect seal for the trap should the latter overdraw, and to provide a device for said purpose that shall be simple, cheap, and durable, and will not be liable to need repair. I accomplish these objects by the construction and novel arrangement of means hereinafter described, illustrated in the drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side view of the invention at taehed to a closet. Fig. 2 represents an end view of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the inner and upper tank. Fig. 4 is a similar view of the outer and lower tank.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a water-closet having the trap a, the bowl a, and the hinged seat 0. which sustains the weight of the occupant.

B is a lever pivoted at Z) on one side of the closet and in position to have its outer arm 17 depressed by the seat a the end of the inner arm Z2 being pivoted to the lower end of the vertically-moving rod 0, which slides through guides 00, secured to propersupports on the wall of the room.

D is the flushing-tube running up from the bowl and having its upper end d funnelshaped to receive water from the tank-siphons, hereinafter described.

0 is an arm secured to the rod 0 near the upper end thereof, with its end standing under the lower tank.

6 e are the upward standing-arms of the supporting-frame E of the tanks, and c is the transverse bar connecting said arms together with its end adjacent to the wall, provided with a boss securely bolted to the wall-board.

F is the lower tank provided with trunnions on its side, which rest in the bearings f, made about centrally in the arms 6, and G is the upper tank, with its trunnions resting in the bearings g in the end of said arms.

ff' are stop-blocks limiting the motion in each direction of the tank, and g g are similar stop-blocks limiting the motion of the tank G.

H II are siphons, with their larger arms passing through thefloor of the tank F and entering the funnel-shaped upper end of the flushing-tube. The siphons are situated near the end of said tank and the ends of their shorter arms are near the floor thereof. The siphon II is provided with the air-openings 7r in its shorter arm, as shown.

I is the supply-pipe from the main, provided with a valve 2', the stem of which is turned by the bent or angular lever arm 2', having the inclined plate 2' on its lower end.

J is aball made of wood or hollow metal so as to float, it restingbetween the three inclined bars jj, which are equidistant from it and form a cage, in which it has to rise in an inclined direction, so as always to be below the plate t as it rises with the inflow of water.

K is a latching-block pivoted to the end of the tank G, and with its lower end resting upon the upper edge of F. 7

Having described the construction of my invention, the operation thereof is as follows: The water enters through the supply-pipe I and fills the upper tank, the float J meanwhile rising in the cage and lifting the lever-arm '6', so that when the surface of the water has reached the level indicated by the dotted line on m, Fig. 1, the said lever will be raised sufficicntly to close the valve 1' and stop the supply. Vhen the weight of a person is placed on the seat of the closet, it (being hinged) is depressed, thus forcing the front end of the lever B down and elevating the rear end, thus raising the arm 0 and the rear end of the tank F. The latch K being secured to the tank G and the lower end thereof resting upon the edge of the lower tank, the action just described will tilt the said upper tank into the position shown in dotted lines, Fig. 1, thus emptying the water therein into the lower tank through the opening 9 in the front end thereof. The upper surface of the water in the lower tank will now beindicated by the dotted line a n, and it will be seen that it is not sufficiently high to cause the siphons to operate. The upper tank, having been relieved of the weight of water therein, returns to its first position, and as there is nothing now to sustain the ball or float in the raised position ,7 it falls and the valve 1' is opened, allowing the tank to be refilled, as before. As the upper tank returns to its first position, the latch K passes over or beyond the edge of the lower tank, as shown by the drawings, Fig 1, the lower tank being still in the tilted position shown in dotted lines. When the weight is removed from the seat of the closet, the arm 0 falls and allows the tank to return to the position shown in full lines, thus bringingthe siphons below the surface of the water sufficiently to cause them to act. The water drawn from the said tank by the siphons is deposited in the funnel at the upper end of the flushing-pipe D, and carried thereby to the bowl of the closet. There is some chance that the force with which the water is dashed into the bowl and through the trap will cause the latter to overdraw, and therefore in order to provide means for a complete and perfect seal I form the perforation or opening K in the side of the siphon H. When the surface of water reaches the level of the said opening, the air admitted therethrough to the siphon breaks the same and causes it to cease drawing, thus reducing the force with which the water is dashed into the bowl and allowing theremainder of the water in the tank to be drawn ofi by the other siphon to form the said seal to the trap. It

' will be seen that the motion of the lower ends of the siphons is entirely within the upper end of the funnel 01, thus allowing no opportunity for leaking or dripping of the same to annoy the occupant of the closet.

The tanks are so balanced as to produce the desired motion without chance of failure, the weight of both being slightly greater at the rear end. It will be seen that when the upper tank is tilted the weight of water thrown into the front and partly covered end is sufficient to hold it in that position until emptied, and the lower tank is only held in the tilted position by the arm 0, the former returning to its first position as soon as the latter is allowed to drop. The action of the latch K is automatic, as hereinbefore described, the upper edge of the lower tank pressing the same out and passing thereunder into the first position, when the said lower tank is allowed to resume its first position.

It will be seen that the operation of my device does not depend upon the action of valves, the only valve used in the mechanism being the cut-off for the supply, and this is governed by the float, which cannot fail to rise when the surface of the water rises.

I claim'- 1. In a water-closet tank, the combination of the outer tank, inner pivoted tank, supplypipe having valve '5 operated by lever-arm t,

plate t on lower end, ball-float J under said plate, and inclined guiding-cage formed by rods j, substantially as described.

2. In a water-closet tank, the combination of the lower pivoted tank F, having siphons to carry water therefrom, flushing-pipe D to receive water from said siphons, andupper pivoted tank G to receive water from the supplypipe and adapted when tilted to deposit water in lower tank, substantially as described.

3. In a water-closet tank, the combination of the lower pivoted tank F, siphons H in one end thereof, flushing-pipe D, having funnel d at upper end under the lower ends of said siphons, upper pivoted tank G, adapted to re ceive water'from supply, and rod 0, adapted to tilt both tanks simultaneously when the seat of the closet is depressed, substantially as described.

4. The combination, in a water-closet tank, of the pivoted tank G, having latch K in rear end, pivoted lower tank F, having rear upper edge under the said latch, rod 0, adapted to be raised when the seat is depressed, and arm 0 to tilt the said tank, substantially as described.

5. The combination,in a water-closet tank, of the lower tank F, pivoted near the center,

siphons H at one end, flush-pipe D, upper.

tank G, pivoted near the central point, latch K thereon, supply-pipe I, valve 0 therein, lever-arm '5, float J, lever 13, having the front end under the seat of closet-bar C, secured to rear end thereof, and guides c to direct the motion of said rod, substantially as described.

6. The combination, in a water-closet tank, of the lower tank F, upper pivoted tank G, adapted to receive water and deposit it in the tank F, siphons H H in lower tank F, and perforation K in one of said siphons near the lower end of the shorter arm,substantially as described.

7. The combination,in a water-closet tank, of the movable seat a and pivoted upper tank G and lower tank F, whereby when the seatis depressed the water in the receiving or upper tank is deposited in the lower tank and when the seat is relieved of pressure the water in the lower tank is discharged down the flush-pipe, substantially as described.

8. The combination, in a water-closet tank,

, of the lower'tank F, upper receiving-tank G,

discharge siphons H H in lower tank, and perforation K in one of said siphons, adapted to prevent the trap of the closet from overdrawing, substantially as described.

9. The combination, in a water-closet tank, of the lower tank F, upper tank G, pivoted latch K on rear end thereof to engage one edge of lower tank, and means whereby, when seat is depressed, the said tanks will be tilted my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in simultaneously, the said upper tank being presence of two Witnesses. adapted to discharge the Water contained therein into the lower tank and return imme- 5 diately to its normal or reeeivin g position, sub- Witnesses:

stantially as described. GRANT L. HUDSON,

JAMES SCOTT.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as AYTONO ARMITAGE. 

